Pile fabric and method of making the same



Dec. 23, 1930. M. G. cuRTls PILE FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAMEFiled NOV. 22, 1927 Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcEMELVILLE G. CURTIS, CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO COLLINS & AIXMANCORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WAREPILE FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application led November 22,1927. Serial No. 235,060.

My invention is an improved method of producing pile fabrics and novelproducts resulting therefrom. It involves the utilization of the backingof a pile fabric, and preferably the woven backing of a pile fabrichaving pile enmeshed therein, asa matrix to position and hold the fibresof the pile while the tips thereof are embedded in an adherent materialadapted for solidification into a flexiblelbacking or fabric separablefrom the original backing to form a new pile fabric by splitting thepile between the backings. The operation may be carried on repeatedlywith the same original matrix until the pile thereof becomes t-oo shortfor further splitting, or any backing which is split o with sufficientlylong pile adhering thereto ma be used as a new matrix.

By my improvements, I am enabled to produce a multiplicity of pilefabrics with but one'weaving operation, and to produce novel pilefabrics having pile filaments substantially normal to the surface of thebacking and spaced substantially uniformly throughout their lengths,instead of having the pile filaments hunched together adjacent thebacking and spreading at the top as results from the tufts formed whenpile warps are woven into the backing.

In the preferred practice of my invention, a double pile fabric is wovenand split in the usual way to form the original matrix having projectingtherefrom pile fibres, which, if desired, may be temporarily stiii'enedby a 'soluble sizing. .These fibres after stiffening or withoutstiffening have their ends embedded in an adherent composition which,when solidified and, if desired, reenforced, forms a pliable imperviousbacking for one of the plurality of pile fabrics resulting fromsplitting the pile between the solidified coating and the originalbacking. Any stiffening substance may then be washed outof the pile soas to form a soft nap projecting from the backings.

My invention is also applicable to the production of a plurality of pilefabrics from pile fabric initially woven with a single backing' and,having pile loops projecting therefrom. These loopsima-y be cut by pilewires or suitable machines or may be left uncut. The pile in an uncut orcut condition is embedded in an adherent coating which is solidified toform asecond backing separable Afrom the original backing to form aplurality `that one fabric has piles of the length desired in a finishedfabric and the other fabric has piles of a length suitable for furtherbacking and splitting.

The adherent composition is preferably a quickly solidiiable cellulosesolution, such as a viscose or pyroxylin compound liquefied by asuitable solvent, but may be made from any suitable substance such as arubber or rubberand-glue solution, casein, or other agglutinant and' maybe reenforced either before or after the embedding of the pile tips by atextile or felted fabric. Solidiication may be effected by coagulation,vulcanization, heating or the like. The composition is substantiallyinsoluble after solidification and may be so colored or embossed as togive desired effects independently of or in conjunction with piledecoration resulting from printing, cutting, singeing, acid treatment orthe like.

The characteristic features and advantages of my invention will morefully appear from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings illustrating diagrammatically the practice of my invention andproducts resulting therefrom. 4

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a double pile fabricwhich is being split to form a plurality of fabrics; Fig. 2 showsdiagrammatically one of the fabrics formed by splitting they fabric ofFig. 1 with the pile tips thereof embedded in a reenforced, adherentcomposition and again being split to form a plurality of fabrics; Fig. 3shows diagrammatically the fabric split from the lower portion of Fig. 2with its pile tips embedded in a reenforced, adherent composition andagain being split to form a plurality of fabrics; Fig. 4 illustratesdiagrammatically a split pile fabric having a loosely woven backing withthe loops of piles interlocked therein by an `adherent compositionpermeating the backing and the tips of the piles embedded in areenforced, adherent composition, the pile being shown partly split toform a plurality of fabrics; Fig. 5 shows'diagrammatically a woven splitpile fabric having rovings or loosely twisted slivers loope therein toform tufts which spread to form a uniform surface, the tips of thefibres being embedded in aI reenforced adherent composition; the pilebeing shown partly split to form a plurality of fabrics; and Fig. 6shows diagrammatically a section of terry cloth having uncut loopsembedded in a reenforced, adherent composition, the loops being partlysplit to form a plurality of fabrics. As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3inclusive, a double pile fabric is woven in the usual manner with anupper backing composed of backing warps 1 and 2 and weft threads 3 and alower backing composed of backin warps 4 and 5 and wefts 6. The two bacrings are united by pile warps 7 and 8 looped over the respective wefts3 and 6. The double fabric so formed is split by a cutter 9 to form aplurality of fabrics having cut piles, which may be stifi'cned by asoluble size, if desired.

As shown in Fig. 2, the tips of the cut pile are embedded in aosheeted,viscous, adherent composition 10, which may be reenforcedby a backing 11of woven or felted material. The composition is preferably in a verysoft condition when the cut ends of the pile are applied thereto so thatthe pile tips penetrate the composition readily and uniformly and arelocked in place by the solidification thereof. Since the pile. fibres ofthe initial fabric tend to spread and arrange themselves uniformly atthe cut surfaces, the tips embedded in the composition are substantiallyuniformly spaced and normal to the surface of the backing formed by thesolidified composition.

When the composition is solidified, the pile is again split by a cutter9 to form a plurality of fabrics having substantially normal, uniformlyspaced pile fibres 12; and these fab-` rics may have their pile tipsembedded in adherent compositions 13 as indicated in Fig. 3. Thecomposite fabric formed by the solidicati'on of the composition is againsplit to form a plurality of fabrics 14 and 15 each having piles spacedsubstantially uniformly and normal to the surface.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, a double pile fabric may have its wovenbacking beaten u so loosely and the wefts 16 so spaced that, wllien thepile is split. the pile threads are not sufficiently secured towithstand handling. Their ittachment to the backing fabric and the re"enforcement of the latter may be effected :ither before or after thesplitting by anaderent backing composition 17 similar to thekcomposition used for forming additional backings. 4The free ends of thecut pile 1 8 is embedded in an adherent backing composition 19 referablyreenforced by a woven or felted abric 20. The double fabric thus formedis cut into two pile fabrics by splitting the pile as before.

Fig. 5 illustrates a method of producin pile fabrics with uniformlyspaced norma pile fibres from substantially untwisted filaments which inthe form of slightly twisted slivers or rovirigs 21 are looped through abacking 22 either during the weavin thereof or jafter the weaving of thebac ring 22 has been completed. The roving loops are cut to form tuftswhich provide a substantially uniform face 28 but are constrictedadjacent to the fabric so as to form spaces 24 between the bases of thetufts. By embedding the opened out faces or tops of the tufts in anadherent reenforced backing composition 25, the filaments are securedtherein with substantial uniformity of spacing, and, when the pile iscut, one of the resultant fabrics has a pile of finer quality, free fromtufts. y

Fig. 6 illustrates the application of my invention to a terry clothhaving uncut loops 26 which are embedded in a reenforced adherentcomposition 27 and the pile split to form a plurality of fabrics.

The adherent compositions used are preferably such as are used in themanufacture of artificial leather or artificial silk dissolved insolvents so as to provide a strong, durable and attractive base fromwhich the pile pro- ]ects.

Having described m invention, I claim:

1. The method of ma ring pile fabric which comprises utilizing thebacking of a pile fabric as a matrix to position and hold the fibres ofthe pile, embedding the tips of the pile in an adherent material adaptedfor solidification into a backing, and splitting the pile to form aplurality of fabrics.

2. The method of making pile fabric which comprises utilizing the wovenbacking of a pile fabric having pile enmeshed therein as a matrix toposition and hold the libres of the pile, embedding the tips of the pilein adherent material, solidifying the adherent material to form abacking, and splitting the pile to form a plurality of fabrics. i

3. The method of making pile fabric which comprises looping pile warpsthrough a backing, applying an adherent material to the pile loops belowthe tips of the pile so as to form a nap, embedding.r the pile tips inan adherent material solidifiable into a backing, and splitting the pileto form a plurality of fabrics.

4. Theinethod of making pile fabric which comprises enmeshing pile in abacking, agglutinating the pile and backing together leaving the piletips free to form a nap, em-

Y bedding the pile tips in a solidifiable adherent material, andsplitting the pile to form a plurality of fabrics.

5. The method of making pile fabric which comprises weaving a. loosetextile backing with pile Warps so loosely enmeshed therein as to benormally movable relatively thereto, impregnating said fabric and thebase of said pile with an adherent com osition, embedding the tips ofsaid pile with a solidiiiable adherent composition, and splitting saidpile to form a plurality of pile fabrics.

6. The process of making pile fabric which comprises looping a looselytwisted roving through a textile fabric, cutting said roving to formtufts, embedding the tips of said tufts in a solidiiable' adherentmaterial, and splitting the tufts t0 form a plurality of fabrlcs.

7. The process of making pile fabric which comprises looping a rovingthrough a textile fabric, uniting the loops with said fabric by anadherent material, cutting said roving to form tufts having constrictedportions adj acent to said fabric and expanded faces, em-

bedding the faces of said tufts in a solidiiiable adherent material, andsplitting the tufts to form a plurality of fabrics.

8. The method of forming a pile fabric which comprises embedding thepile tips of a woven pile fabric in an adherent coating and splittingthe pile to form a plurality of fabr1cs.

9. The method of forming a pile fabric which comprises weaving doublepile fabric, i

splitting the pile to form a plurality of pile fabrics, embedding thepile tips of one of the split fabrics in an adherent coating, and aga-insplitting the pile to form a plurality of fabrics.

10. The method of producing pile fabrics which comprises forming tuftslooped in a fabric, the tufts being opened out at their tops, embeddingthe opened out tops of the tufts in a solidifiable adherent coating, andsplitting the tufts to form a plurality of fabmcs.

11. The method of producing pile fabrics which com rises enmeshing aloosely twisted sliver in a acking, cutting the sliver to form a pileface of substantially uniformly spaced filaments, embedding 'the cutends of the filaments in a solidifiable adherent coating, and splittingthe filaments to form a plurality of fabrics.

12. The method of forming a pile fabric which comprises forming a looselwoven backing having pilesloosely loope therein,

embedding the looped portions of said piles in a solidifiable adherentcoating, embedding the free ends of said piles in a solidiiable adherentcoating, and splitting the piles to form a plurality of fabrics.

In testimony whereof I have l`hereunto set my hand this 21st day ofNovember, 1927.

MELVILLE G. CURTIS.

